$4.7 Million Memorial to Finally Honour Mount Isa’s 151 Fallen Miners

A multimillion-dollar memorial honoring 151 workers who lost their lives at a historic mine is set to be built in outback Queensland after nearly 30 years of community advocacy.

The $4.7 million Mount Isa Miners Memorial will be jointly funded by the Queensland state government, the mine's current owner Glencore, and the Mount Isa City Council.

A Long-Awaited Tribute

The landmark is set to be erected at Frank Aston Hill, overlooking the Mount Isa Mines directly across from the North West Queensland town, with completion expected by late 2027. Initial designs for the proposed memorial were drafted in 2023 and paid for by the Mount Isa City Council.

For former Mount Isa resident Steve Trevor, who lost his brother Tony in a mining accident in 1995, the project represents the culmination of decades of waiting.

"The memories are still sharp in my mind," Mr Trevor said. "[The memorial] will bring recognition of a life lost. What they gave to their community is the ultimate sacrifice."

Operations at the Mount Isa underground copper mine officially ceased last year. Reflecting on the impact of the loss, Mr Trevor added, "They didn't come home. There's only a few people who can understand what that feels like."

Mr Trevor recalled the devastating moment he learned of his brother's death. "I remember I got my call about my brother's passing at midnight, and it was terrible not just for myself but my family, my mother, my father," he said. "It means not just a lot to myself, but there's the 151 families as well."

Former local John Moran, who first called for a memorial in 1998, described the funding announcement as a historic day for the community. "[The fallen miners] were residents of Mount Isa. They never flew in or flew out," Mr Moran said. "Let's hope that there's never another one."

Mr Moran emphasized the importance of the project, stating, "As I've said for a long, long time, those 151 workers deserve to be remembered, but more importantly they deserve to be memorialised."

Funding Secured for Construction

Mount Isa Mayor Peta MacRae expressed pride that the long-called-for memorial is finally becoming a reality. "We are hoping to get the sod turned and get underway as soon as we possibly can," Mayor MacRae said.

The Mount Isa City Council will provide $700,000 of the funding for the construction of the memorial. While plans and costings were established in 2023, the project had previously stalled without the backing of the state government.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced that the Crisafulli government is injecting $2 million into the memorial by repurposing funds from the Mount Isa Transition Fund. Mr Bleijie noted that re-allocating the funds still honors the original objective of supporting the region's economy following the closure of the underground copper mine.

"When people are coming to towns like Mount Isa, that's heart and soul is the mining community, they can reflect and be educated on how important the mining industry is in the great state of Queensland," Mr Bleijie said.

Current mine owner Glencore, which took ownership in 2013, has contributed $2 million to the project. Glencore Metals chief operating officer Troy Wilson, who started his career at the mine in the 1990s, noted the deep connection between the mine and the local community over the past century.

"But that history has suffered some profound loss and we must remember every day that there's people that went to work here and didn't get to come home," Mr Wilson said. "This memorial will create a permanent place where we can honour all those that have gone before."

Mr Wilson added, "It also will stand as an opportunity for us to remember what our responsibility is and that's to learn from the past, to continuously improve, and to ensure we do everything we can every day to make sure all of our workers go home safe at the end of the day."